Burroughs Football: Burros draw Notre Dame in D9 first round

Early Sunday morning, the Burroughs football team learned that it was going into the playoffs as an at-large member.

Check.

Two hours later, the Burros found out their opponent in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Division 9 playoffs: the Notre Dame Titans of Riverside.

The Burros will visit the Titans on Friday to kick off the first year of the CIF’s new “competitive equity” division playoffs.

The new playoff structure is geared to group teams based on strength, rather than location. Formerly, the Burros competed in the Eastern Division, where they battled against teams within the eastern Inland Empire during the postseason, regardless of strength and enrollment size.

Burroughs isn’t the only High Desert team in the Division 9 bracket. Silverado, a former foe in the Desert Sky League, will be competing as the division’s No. 3 seed, hosting Perris in the first round.

Valley Christian earned the No. 1 rank in Division 9 and will host Kennedy. The Golden League’s Antelope Valley was No. 2 and will host Muir.

The winner of the Burros/Titans battle will face the winner of Agoura/Santa Barbara. Should the Burros win, they will automatically host the quarterfinals only if Agoura beats Santa Barbara. If Santa Barbara wins, then the home team will be decided via a coin flip.

In the Mojave River League, the Burros finished in fourth place, behind Serrano, Oak Hills and Apple Valley. All three teams made the playoffs in their respective divisions.